Jay Bennett is an Emmy Award-winning producer, creative director, and senior media strategy executive with more than 20 years of experience building global entertainment franchises. As Shaftesbury’s Senior Strategist, he focuses on extending IP, forging brand partnerships, and creating innovative fan-first activations that grow audiences worldwide.

At the centre of his current work is Murdoch Mysteries as a master brand, expanded into a global ecosystem through a funneled, audience-first approach. Recent initiatives include Macy Murdoch, which began as a digital series and has now expanded into movies with Rainmaker as distributor; a Macy Murdoch Roblox experience that has generated 128M+ plays; original scripted and unscripted activations on YouTube; and a dedicated Murdoch curriculum and learning platform. The brand also spans merchandise (tea, beer, and a forthcoming board game), live tours, a symphony tour, an escape room, and a FAST Channel partnership.

Previously, Bennett led Shaftesbury’s digital studio Smokebomb Entertainment, where he pioneered industry firsts such as Backpackers (CW), the first Canadian digital series to transition to U.S. primetime television; Carmilla, the branded entertainment phenomenon with Kimberly-Clark; and the Emmy Award-winning ReGenesis Extended Reality Game.

He has also partnered with leading broadcasters and brands including Netflix, Disney, CBC, BBC, The CW, and Walmart. Career highlights include The Fallen: ARG, the first digital project to win a Primetime Interactive Emmy; Totally Amp’d, the first scripted interactive series inside an app; and Twilight Daycare: The Series, the genre-defining scripted Roblox hit.